Hi to everyone on the forum, this is my first post so go easy!
I have just realised that my butterfly hasn't been seen all day, and I am concerned that he has gone to fish heaven. (he hasn't been eating well and has been in a cave for a few days ) We know that he had something wrong with him, so I'm would not be surprised if he has passed on, but my question is "Where is he?" I have a full reef tank with crabs, starfish, shrimps as well as a selection of fish, tangs, clowns, damsels, the usual suspects, and tons of live rock, so impossible to start moving it all.
I can't see him, and am concerned that if I don't find him and get him out, (dead) then he is going to affect water quality. I can't believe that he hasn't just floated to the surface. Is it possible that he has been eaten once dead? Any advice gratfully received.

hi sorry to hear bad news i keep trops but mit be able to help. how big was the fish and are u keeping an eye on the water quality o also wat size tank

He may still be feeling under the weather , and if you have as much rock as you say, he will have plenty of hiding places as he tries to recover ( or to die peacefully ? don't know how big he is or how many crabs you have in there ,so its hard to say if he would make much difference to the water quality before they eat him, if he is dead? just keep doing your tests and if you start to get concerned either do some very regular water changes over the next week or so to give them chance to finish eating him ,or start dismantling your reef until you find him. I HAVE lost a few fish over the years and my clean up crew has always done their job before I noticed any significant rise in my tests. ( very rarly did any of my casualties float to the surface).

My tank is 225litres, the crabs are small (1 inch) x3 Mithrax, x2 Halloween Hermits, probably about 7 small other selection of hermits. x3 shirmps who are all quite big at 2 1/2 inches each.
The butterfly was new, from lfs, within 2 days covered in Marine Ich. ( I also bought a really small baby tang at the same time, who also had/got the ich, but he is still going about quite happily)
Due to UV steriliser, hasn't affected anyone else, (at least not yet, but it's been nearly 4 weeks so hopefully it won't either) Potentially he could have had another reason to go, but we will not know now I expect! Butterfly was about 3 Inches from tip of nose to tail end.
I have looked in the tank this morning and one of the shrimps has shed its shell, so maybe this would indicate that he has been feasting? (they shed their shells quite regularily, so maybe completely unrelated, but I don't believe in co-incidence where my tank is concerned.!)
As for the Ich, I'm hopeful that the UV will prevent its spread, I've got a higher value of Reef/invert than fish, so we shall see but fingers crossed so far.

If I were you zoe I would just keep monotoring the situation and as long as your tests are fine let nature take its course.

Thank you Grandad for your replies. Am loving this whole forum thing!
We post an update if anything of interest happens........

your welcome to join in on all the threads ,if you want to? ( some fish related , some non fish related and some total rubbish, but all good fun ,

Hi Zoe!
Grandad knows his stuff!!!! U'll be surprised at what the clean up crew can do!! They soon got to work on my flamed angel!!! Like grandad says we all have lost fish!!! Most bizarre one was my royal gramma couldn't find him for days but could smell a stench??? little buggar had only jumped into the bin!!! The cause was having regal damsels that terrorised most of the smaller fish, soon got rid!!!!!